> The PM is very nervous about using any new
> tech, perhaps justifiably, but my sense of unease ...
That's the essence of the problem: the PM is a Luddite.
Now, there are plenty of projects that fail because they're over-ambitious
in using new technology.
But there are also lots of projects that cost 10 times what they should
through failing to use it.
I've certainly been in environments where a PM's career was advanced through
delivering a successful project because no-one in higher management ever
knew that it could have been done for a tenth the cost. Indeed, a $1m
project looked better on his CV than a $100K project. Perhaps that's the
environment you're working in.
Regards,
Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/http://twitter.com/michaelhkay